European Rugby Champions Cup: Castres Olympique v Leinster preview

Three-time champions of Europe Leinster will aim to take control of Pool 2 on Sunday as they travel to France for a showdown with Castres.

Matt O’Connor’s Leinstermen were handed a thorough test by Wasps last weekend, but escaped unscathed with a 25-20 win, while Castres were crushed 25-9 by Harlequins.

Sunday’s early afternoon meeting will be their fourth to date, with Leinster boasting a 3-1 record against the French opposition and O’Connor will be keen to see that improved further.

After battling from behind to beat Wasps Leinster must underline their credentials against a Castres side, which are expected to prop up the pool.

Castres have won just three of their 10 matches so far this season, but despite their struggles, Leinster scrum coach Marco Caputo believes they will be a different proposition on home soil.

"French teams are significantly better at home than they are on the road," said Caputo.

"Castres have only won three matches, all of those matches they've won have been at home. One of those matches was against Grenoble, who are currently sitting 5th in the Top 14, and they put 50 points on them. I'd say Castres at this moment in time are probably a 20-point better side playing at home.

"We've previewed they're performances both on the road and at home and it's significantly evident that they are a much better team at home."

Team news

While Castres may be a much better side at home, they've endured a difficult week, with the confirmation that fly-half and skipper Remi Tales will be departing at the end of the season.

In team news, Castres have made five changes to the team that lost to Harlequins last weekend.

Amongst the backs, Romain Cabannes comes in for Thomas Combezou at inside centre while Cedric Garcia takes over from the injured Rory Kockott at scrum-half.

In the pack, Yannick Caballero and Piula Faasalele replace William Whetton and Ibrahim Diarra in the back row. Faasalele started at lock against Harlequins and his place in the second row is taken by Rodrigo Capo Ortega who will pack down alongside Richie Gray.

Meanwhile, Leinster head coach Matt O'Connor has made three changes to his side that beat Wasps last weekend.

Unfortunately the game has come too early for both Mike Ross and Rob Kearney who have not been able to shake off their groin and back injuries suffered late last week.

In the pack, there is a change in the second row with Kane Douglas partnering Devin Toner, while Isaac Boss gets the nod at scrum-half ahead of Eoin Reddan with Jimmy Gopperth at No 10.

The final change is on the wing with Fitzgerald coming in on the left wing and Darragh Fanning, who touched down twice in the RDS last Sunday, moving across to the right wing. As a result, Zane Kirchner moves from the right wing to full-back.

Castres Olympique: 15 Geoffrey Palis, 14 Max Evans, 13 Christopher Tuatara-Morrison, 12 Romain Cabannes, 11 Remi Grosso, 10 Remi Tales (capt), 9 Cedric Garcia; 1 Saimone Taumoepeau, 2 Brice Mach, 3 Ramiro Herrera, 4 Richie Gray, 5 Rodrigo Capo Ortega, 6 Piula Faasealele, 7 Yannick Caballero, 8 Jannie Bornman
Replacements: 16 Mathieu Bonello, 17 Mihaita Lazar, 18 Yohan Montes, 19 Christophe Samson, 20 Mathieu Babillot, 21 Romain Martial, 22 Julien Dumora, 23 Antoine Dupont

Leinster: 15 Zane Kircher; 14 Darragh Fanning, 13 Gordon D’Arcy, 12 Ian Madigan, 11 Luke Fitzgerald; 10 Jimmy Gopperth, 9 Isaac Boss; 1 Jack McGrath, 2 Sean Cronin, 3 Michael Bent, 4 Devin Toner, 5 Kane Douglas, 6 Rhys Ruddock, 7 Dominic Ryan, 8 Jamie Heaslip (capt)
Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Ed Byrne, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Mike McCarthy, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Noel Reid, 23 Mick McGrath

Watch Castres v Leinster live on Sky Sports 3HD from 12:30pm on Sunday